Ball State University
10-4, 2-0MAC
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Western Michigan
8-7, 1-1MAC
Men's Hoops Topples Western Michigan, 72-63
January 12, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - Three players scored in double figures to lead the Ball State men's basketball team to a 72-63 Mid-American Conference victory over Western Michigan Wednesday night at Worthen Arena. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in MAC play on the season while the Broncos fall to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in league action.
"This was the type of game that we come to expect against Western Michigan, a physical and hotly contested contest," head coach Billy Taylor said. "We got off to a poor start tonight but we got great contributions and energy from our bench to get us going. We were able to get some stops on defense and get out in transition, which allowed us to play a more up and down game."
Freshman guard Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) led the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points despite playing just 15 minutes due to foul trouble. Berry hit 5-of-6 from the field, including four first half three-pointers as he helped ignite Ball State to a 27-5 first half run to take the lead for good. Ball State led for the final 28:50 of the contest as it improved to 6-0 this season at home at Worthen Arena.
Western Michigan came out of the gate and scored the first six points of the game as Matt Stainbrook scored all of the Broncos' early points. The Broncos kept the pressure on as they ran out to a 16-7 lead through the first six and a half minutes. The Cardinals were able to change the momentum on the defensive end as freshman forward Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) drew a charge to give the Cardinals some much needed energy.
Ball State responded and scored eight straight points on its way to a 27-5 run to take the game over. The Cardinals were ignited by a Pierre Sneed (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) fast break dunk and put into overdrive by Berry's shooting. Berry scored 10 straight for the Cardinals on his way to 13 first half points as he hit 4-of-4 from long range.
Ball State kept the run going with its defense as it registered six first half steals. The Cardinals took a 34-21 lead with 2:42 left in the half as senior forward Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran) recorded a block on one end of the court and drove home the basket with a thunderous dunk.
The Cardinals took a 38-26 lead into the locker room as they shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the field and 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from long range. Ball State attacked the basket in the first half and hit 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free throw line. Berry led the Cardinals with 13 points in the opening frame while junior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) added six points.
Western Michigan was limited to 37.9 percent (11-of-29) shooting from the field and just 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from long range. The Broncos were led by Stainbrook who scored 10 first half points and grabbed five rebounds while Flenard Whitfield added six points.
The Broncos opened the second half on an 8-2 run as they narrowed the BSU lead down to 40-34. Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) thwarted the momentum as he nailed a three-pointer in the corner to help the Cardinals boost the lead back to double figures.
The two teams battled for most of the half as Western Michigan kept chipping away at the Ball State lead. The Cardinals had an answer for each WMU basket and sealed the victory at the free throw line. Ball State hits its final 13 free throws in the last 3:53 of the game to take home the nine-point victory as Perry, Davis and Scaife all hit 4-of-4 in the closing minutes.
Ball State finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from the field and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from three-point land. The Cardinals, who entered the game with the most free throw attempts of any team in the MAC, dominated the charity stripe once again as they hit 25-of-35 (71.4%) compared to Western Michigan's 14 free throw attempts.
Scaife notched his second straight contest in double figures as he scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. He hit 3-of-8 from the field and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the victory. Jones chipped in 12 points as he was 5-of-11 form the field and Perry added nine points and five rebounds as eight different Cardinals scored at least four points.
Western Michigan was held to just 39.3 percent (24-of-61) shooting from the field and only 25.0 percent (4-of-16) from long range. The Broncos were led by Whitfield's 15 points while Stainbrook posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Cardinals continued their two-game home stretch Saturday afternoon as they host divisional rival Central Michigan. Tip-off is set at 2 p.m. and is the first of a men's/women's doubleheader at Worthen Arena.
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